Friday's Bit of Discipleship
“To lead his spiritual movement Jesus chose twelve prideful souls, because it wasn't like there were other kinds from which to choose. He worked patiently for months to change them into humble disciples... Not everyone who serves is humble. But everyone who is humble will be a servant.”
~ page 84, The Prideful Soul's Guide to Humility, Fontnet/Jones
Discipleship Prayer of Humility
Lord Jesus, thank You for choosing me to be one of Your servant-disciples, prideful soul and all. Out of reverence for You, teach me how to humbly submit myself as a servant to those in my world. I want to know You. I want to reflect You. I want to serve You. By Your Holy Spirit teach me these things. In Your name I pray. Amen.
MISSIO DEI Discipleship Point
Why is the MISSIO DEI (Sending of God) Needed?
Beginning with Adam and Eve, everyone has rebelled against God. Everyone has broken the relationship with Him and has been filled with wickedness and disobedience. Mankind sinned and continues to sin against God’s will. We are all guilty and deserve punishment. Because of the reality of sin and its consequence, we all deserve eternal damnation. Our broken relationship with God also manifests itself in broken relationships between one another in society, in families, and in the Christian family, the visible church. Mankind and the church urgently needed and still needs the great sending of God for rescue and redemption, and for the restoration of relationships!
The church needs the Missio Dei itself to exist for others. Only when God’s great sending lives within us can we go into the world for Him. We do not live for ourselves while we wait for others to recognize God’s gifts; we cannot embody a “come to us” attitude and continue on with our own lives. Instead, Christ calls us into the world as apostolates, sending us always beyond and outside of ourselves.
See the following Scriptures in your bible or on pages 253-254 of The Great Sending book: Romans 3:9-20 (For further study, see “The Ten Commandments” and “Close of the Commandments,” Luther’s Small Catechism.)
Discipleship Prayer
Father God, don’t let us settle for broken relationships around us. Starting with You, let us celebrate restoration through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Let us take that joyous connection and pour it into a world full of brokenness. Finally, help us to understand that we may get broken in the process of helping others – much like Jesus was broken for us. In your name Jesus we pray. Amen.
Remind Yourself Again Today
“I am a disciple of Jesus serving in work that glorifies the Father.”
Now ask a few additional questions:
- Who in your family could benefit from your serving them today?
- Who in your family could you partner with in serving to glorify God?
Biblical Themes
The Covenants
Despite human rebellion, God continues to make covenant promises to restore humanity to the role they were created for: to be partners with God in ruling creation. Though humans repeatedly fail, Jesus fulfills humanity’s side of the partnership, making right the relationship between God and humankind.
https://bibleproject.com/videos/covenants/